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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry will spend another day in Egypt Thursday as he works with regional foreign ministers and heads of state to end violence in the Gaza Strip that has killed more than 700 Palestinians. Thirty four people, mostly soldiers have died on the Israeli side.

A senior State Department official says Secretary Kerry will stay in Cairo at least through Friday morning, because he says there has been "some progress in moving towards" a cease-fire over the last 24 hours.

Speaking about the effort, Kerry said that those involved are seeking to find a way forward.

"In the last days we have been talking about how to achieve an end to the current violence and an effort to try to not only have a cease-fire but build a process that can create a sustainable way forward for everybody," said the U.S. secretary of state.

Kerry returned to Egypt late Wednesday after separate talks in Israel and Ramallah with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is calling on all parties to work together toward one goal.

"Bring this violence toward an immediate end, immediate end. I really urge the parties [to] stop now. It's now time to stop now, then discuss all the issues," said Ban.

Among the issues for Hamas is lifting the Israeli and Egyptian blockade of Gaza. For the Israelis, it is stopping Hamas rocket attacks and destroying Hamas tunnels into Israel.

But those are to be negotiated after a cease-fire, when Kerry says "all of the issues of Gaza will be on the table."

Afghan officials and human rights organizations assert that Pakistani authorities are using deadly attack at school in Peshawar as pretext to push out Afghan refugees More

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by: Lucas

July 25, 2014 1:29 PM

The tunnels built by Hamas need to be published with some detail as to how they were constructed and over what time period was need to construct them, to illustrate what Israel is up against.

Getting to grips with Hamas terrorists living among the civilian population is extremely difficult, as one cannot distinguish the real foe not to mention Hamas sympathizers.

by: Lawrence Bush from: Houston, Texas, USA

July 24, 2014 7:07 AM

In terms of casualties, while the tolls of the Syrian civil war have been over one hundred and fiftt thousands...... there's no necessity of ceasefire; contrario, whereas the tolls over Gaza are very minimal, world leaders and the UN call it as foul? Really, the divided world leadership does see where they can succeed; and where they cannot.

by: kafantaris from: Warren, Ohio

July 23, 2014 10:27 PM

“Gideon Levy, a prominent leftist Israeli columnist, said [Israel’s] longstanding ‘dehumanization of the Palestinians’ has resulted today in a ‘total lack of any kind of empathy’ with them.” -- Bloomberg Businessweek (7-23-14)Ironically, this is how Hitler was able to openly attack the Jews in Germany -- by first dehumanizing them.

by: meanbill from: USA

July 23, 2014 10:00 PM

PICTURE THIS... Why is the US desperately seeking a ceasefire in the Gaza Palestinian war? ... Israel has the greatest military forces in the Middle East, (like the US has in the world), but both of them can't defeat anybody anymore, and the US and Israel is trying to prevent the world from knowing it.... Israel desperately needs a ceasefire !!!!!

The Israeli enemies are watching Israel in their desperation to defeat a tiny Hamas military, in the tiny Gaza strip, watching how they attack, maneuver, their strengths and weaknesses, and especially the "Iron Dome" missile defense system, and if Israel can't defeat tiny Hamas, who can they defeat? ... (Israel better negotiate a peace, because time isn't on their side anymore)....

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has told his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that his country could face further consequences to what he called its “already strained economy” if Moscow does not fully comply with a cease-fire in Ukraine. The two met, on Monday, on the sidelines of a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, where Kerry outlined human rights violations in Russian-annexed Crimea and eastern Ukraine. VOA State Department correspondent Pam Dockins reports from Geneva.

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U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has told his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, that his country could face further consequences to what he called its “already strained economy” if Moscow does not fully comply with a cease-fire in Ukraine. The two met, on Monday, on the sidelines of a U.N. Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva, where Kerry outlined human rights violations in Russian-annexed Crimea and eastern Ukraine. VOA State Department correspondent Pam Dockins reports from Geneva.

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